Current-motor.



PATENTED APR. 30S 15507. J, IRSHWENGl CURRENT MOTOR.

MPLlUA/xrmz IILm: Nov.

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Nb. 852.022. PATENTE) APR. so, 19,07. J. KIRSGHWENG.

GURRENT MOTOR.

PPLIOA'TIQN FILED Nov.' 23. 1905.

I current whee s may JOHN vKIR-SCHWENG, OF BUTTE, MONTANA.

CURRENT-NIOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3G, 1907.

- Application filed November 23, 1905. Serial No. 288.639.

.To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, J onN Kinscnwnno, a citizen of the United States, residing` in Butte, Silverbow county, Montana, have invented certain new and useful impro vements in Current-Motors, of which the following a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in current motors, such as are adapted to be located in swiftly moving streams, and other places Where swiftly-moving currents of water are available, and comprises a boat or ioat pro vided with water tanks or`compartments whereby its draft or the depth to which it is submerged may be regulated, and provided also with current wheels located in suitable channels and arranged to be revolved by the action of the current, and with means operated by such wheels whereby the power developed through the rotation of said be rendered available. The said boat or lloat customarily comprises, in addition to the said water tanks or coinpartments, a n'iacliinery compartment within which is located a pump, driven by the said current wheels, whereby the water in said tanks may' be pumped out when desired; und other machinery to be driven by said current wheels, as for example un electric generator', nn'y also be located in the same or a similar compartment und may bc driven similarly.

lThe object of my invention is to improve apparatus for utilizing the power of currents of water, and to malin such apparatus simple, cilicient, portable, self-ciintaincd, capable of being nui-neuvcrcd by its own power, and capable of being subnnirgcd to any desired depth and of heilig iloated, when required, by its own power.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which one form of current motor apparatus einlmdying my invention is illus- .ti-ated, and will ihcn point ou t the ,novel features in claims.

ln the said drawings: Figure l shows a side View of one form of current motor constructed in accordancev with my invention, a portion of the sido ot the boat and a portion of one of thc propeller lu-lws beingl broken away to show the iuicrior mechanism. Fig. E shows a rear elevation of the form of current motor shown in lfig. l, and Fig. l shows a top View thereof.

in the said drawings, l designates the hull of the boat or iioat carrying the current wheels and other machinery. While I do not limit myself to any particular type of hull, that, illustrated, which is similar to the hull of a canal-boat, for example, is well suited for the. purpose. The bow is somewhat sharper than that of the conventional canal boat, by preference, as shown in the drawings, in order that there may not be excessive strain on the anchors and cables. This hull is designed to be anchored in the stream or current from which power is to be derived, and for this purpose the boat may be provided with sheaves 2, near its bow and preferably well down toward the bottoni of the boat, and anchor cables may pass through these sheaves and through hawse-holes 3 to capstan-drums 4 or other suitable fastening means.

' The boat is provided with one or more propeller tubes 5, (thc boat shown is provided with two such tubes) within which are' proto its interior at any portion thereof. The -shafts (i have suitable bearings. At their ends they are connected by suitable means,

such as sprocket gearing 8, to a shaft 9 carried b y the hull and in the instanceshown extending longitudinally thereof on the deck.

The propeller tubes 5 preferably have funnel-mouths 10, as shown, so that the velocity ol' the .water within said tubes shall be ampli- I 'lied as nmch as possible.

The hull is provided with water tanks and compartments, ll, llV (arranged at the bow and stern, in the instance shown) which compartments should be of sullicicnt capacity' to completely suhmerg/e the boat if lilled completely. The hull is also provided with a water-tight machinery compartment 12, to which. access may be had through a hatch 13.

The shaft E) is arranged to drive suitable machinery located within this compartment 1;. To this end it is providedyith one or more pulleys .l-tl, which l` customarily locate within a deck-house l5, the interior of which is open to machinery compartment l2.

IOO

ytlhaft t) may pass through water-tight stulling boxes in thc ends of this deck-house. l have shown shaft t) as belted to un electric generator 16 and to a pump 17, the "former particularly intended to convert into available form the energy imparted by the current 'wheels to shaft 9, the latter' particularly intended to be used in pumping out the wiiter-compartments l1 when so desired.

For filling and emptying water compartments 11, 11, a pipe line l 1 is provided.

This pipe line may be connected to the water outside the boat through a valve l) and forwardly directed pipe 2() provided with a fuiinel-mouth 2l. Valves 22 and 23 permit either or both compartments ll to be 'filled at Will. The pump i7 is connected by its suetion pipe 24C to pipe i8, and hence may pump Water from either or both tanks, or compa rtments, ll, or from the outside connection 2t), at will. T he pump may therefore be used either to pump out the tanks or to pump water for any other purpose.

The shaft 9 is connected by suitable gearing to a windlass shaft 25 carrying the cap stan-drums 4 above mentioned. By means of this Windlass the boat may be veered to one side or the other, or may be moved up stream, by its own power.

`In practice, the boat, once brought to the proper spot by its own power or otherwise, and there anchored, is submerged to the. depth Which-is niost suitable. Submersion Iriay be complete, if desired, as the machinery compartment is watertight, and it is easy to provide suitable locks so as to gain access to the machinery compartment without iooding it even when the boat is submerged. In this Way the boat may be sunk to the bed of a stream of considerable depth, if foi'ind desirable, thus entirely avoiding interference with navigation. Tlieboat being in position, the water flowing through the propeller tubes 5 causes the wheels 7 to revoive, the power thereby obtained being transmitted to shaft 9 tliiougl'i the 'sprocket gearing shown, and thence being transmittf'ied to the machinery within compartment l2.

By means of a current imiter constructedas described l am able to generate power Without expense other than the lirstl cost of the installation, and the insignificant Iexpense of maintenanee and ocfeasional attendance.

rlhe entire plant is portable in the highest degree, and being eoinpletely siibmergible, may be located at or near the bottom of navigable streams Without interfering with navigation.

The funnel-mouths l() of tubes 5 may be made of any desiree size. and flare, and materially in/i'ease the velogity of the streams flowing through said tubes and therefore the power obtainable. The boat may be pro vided with as many of these tiibes 5 as desired. l'iikewise, the boats may be biiilt of different. sizes, and any number oll thi boats .may be arranged in'series, thus making it praetieablo t0 obtain larg: amounts of power rom streams ete.

lt will he understood that the tubes 5 may be omitted if desired, the wheels 7 and shafts fi revolving in open water. But the use of said tubes, in eoiineetion with the funnel mouths itl, is preferred, because ofthe increased velority of water past the Wheels thereby obtainable.

1. ln a eurrent motor, the combination with a supporting hull adapted for submersioii and provided with water tanks of a eapai'ity adai'igted to 'cause subinersion of said hull when said tanks are filled and a hermeti l.ally seiilable machinery compartment, and with one or more current wheels, of a pump within said inaehinery roinpartinenh and driven by said eurrentI wheel or wheels, means for admittingwater to said tanks, and means connecting said pump to said tanks.

2. .[n a euri'eiit motor, the combination with a supporting hull adapted for subinersion and provided with subinersion wat-er tanks and with a lierinetieally elosable maehinerY Compartment, a power shaft passing through a wall of such i'oinpartinent, and a eurrent wheel connected to said shaft, of means for admitting water to said tanks.

13. in a current motor, the 'Combination with a supporting hull adapted for submersion and provided with suliinersion water tanks and with a lierinetieally elosable inachinery compartment, a power shaft passing through a. wall of sui'li eoinpartment, and a current wheel eoiinet-tedto said shaft, of means for admitting water to said tanks, and a pump located within said machinery eoinpartinent, driven by said shaft, and eonneeted to said tanks to eiiipt)l the saine.

4. lii a riirrent motor, the Combination with a supporting hull provided with one or more longitudinal shafts iarrying current wheels, and with a longitudinal deuk shaft driven tlieieby,.and provided also with a liernietirally losalt-le eliamber, o l' power-converting inaehinery located within said lieriii ti a.lly losaltle chamber and driven from said dgt k shaft, and a windlass likewise driven by said shaft and adapted for maneuvering the hull.

ln a current motor, the combination of a supporting hull having within it a hermetieally (.losalile, maehinery chamber, one or 'more longitudinalshafts carrying current wheels, a longitudinal derk shaft extending into said elian'iber, sprocket gearing eonneeting said dork shaft and current wheel shaft, and machinery within said eliainber driven from said deck shaft.

(i. ln a i'uirei'it motor, the combination of ia supporting hull having ywithinit a closed marliineiwv r'hamber, one or more longitudinal shafts mirryiiig "iiii'ent. wheels and extending sul st initially to th(` stern of the hull, a longitudinal ile/k shaft likewise extending' v '13e substaiilialliY to the stern of the hull ift-afin@ roo IIO

at thc stzern of the 111111 connecting said `shafts, f i In testimon inf-hereof I hereunto Iny a .t1-rltlnsverschwinldleassl shaft forward of saild signature, in the presence of two witnesses. mac inery c am r gearing connecting t e l .y 1 windlass shift and Said longitudinal decki JOHNKIRSCHWLNG' 5-shaft, and machinery within said chamber Witnesses:

likewise driven -b said longitudinal deck -B.`K.'WHEELER,

shaft. y l v WM. H. SNELL. 

